CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) Sets New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $43.23 and last traded at $43.32, with a volume of 1103864 shares. The stock had previously closed at $45.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CRSP. Chardan Capital restated a "buy" rating and set a $94.00 price objective on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $53.00 price target on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Barclays decreased their price objective on CRISPR Therapeutics from $59.00 to $55.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $84.00 target price on shares of CRISPR Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $77.93.

CRISPR Therapeutics Trading Down 3.6 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.79 and a 200-day moving average of $51.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.47 and a beta of 1.62.

CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The company reported ($1.01) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.42) by $0.41. The business had revenue of $0.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.65 million. CRISPR Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 12.15% and a negative net margin of 118.13%. During the same period last year, the company earned ($1.41) earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that CRISPR Therapeutics AG will post -5.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at CRISPR Therapeutics

In other news, General Counsel James R. Kasinger sold 1,089 shares of CRISPR Therapeutics stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.28, for a total transaction of $50,398.92. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 62,597 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,896,989.16. The trade was a 1.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Samarth Kulkarni sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.62, for a total value of $1,668,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 196,540 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,931,554.80. The trade was a 13.24 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 50,382 shares of company stock worth $2,744,179 in the last 90 days. 4.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CRISPR Therapeutics

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. SFE Investment Counsel raised its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 3.6% in the second quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 5,846 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 4,606 shares of the company's stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Boston Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Family Office LLC now owns 9,763 shares of the company's stock worth $459,000 after acquiring an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC lifted its stake in shares of CRISPR Therapeutics by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC now owns 26,357 shares of the company's stock worth $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in CRISPR Therapeutics by 35.0% in the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 848 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.20% of the company's stock.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics is a gene-editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. CRISPR Therapeutics has established a portfolio of therapeutic programs across a broad range of disease areas including hemoglobinopathies, oncology, regenerative medicine and rare diseases.